Our bowling is surely stronger than the batting, Afghanistan coach Phil Simmons
Afghanistan coach Phil Simmons felt that bowling was a stronger suit for Afghanistan but they still need to work hard and prepare well for the maiden Test match against India. He also felt that Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan will come out as better bowlers after their participation in the IPL.
The last two-three years have been excellent for Afghanistan cricket team as after qualifying for the 2015 World Cup in Australia, they did decently there and also managed to get their first World Cup win. They beat West Indies in the 2016 World T20 in India and then they drew level in the three-match ODI series against the Windies in 2017. And they have always done well against Zimbabwe, against whom they have never lost an ODI series.
And then came the moment when the ICC awarded the Afghan Nation with Test status and fittingly they are scheduled to play their first-ever Test match against India in June later this year. India has been a special place for Afghanistan as the team has mostly trained in Noida and has got good support from the BCCI as well.
With the team all set to get its first taste of Test match cricket, Afghanistan coach Phil Simmons believes that bowling is the stronger suit for the Afghans but still the bowlers will have to work hard to get wickets. However, he felt Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman taking part in the IPL will help them grow as bowlers and cricketers.
“The bowling is surely stronger than our batting. But let me tell you even for spinners like Rashid Khan, Mujeed Zadran and Zahir Khan, it will be tough to take wickets. The two (Rashid and Mujeeb) are currently playing the IPL, so I am pretty sure they will come back to us as better bowlers. Mujeeb has not yet played longer format for Afghanistan but I have been following his IPL campaign. He looks a much-improved bowler. Rashid, on the other hand, is a thorough professional, I know he will keep evolving and keep improving,” Phil Simmons was quoted saying by TOI.
Test cricket is always said to be a ‘game of patience’. The batsmen have to grind it out in the middle and need to play for long hours and to go with that, concentration and patience are a couple of key aspects while batting in Test cricket. Afghanistan
“We have to learn to bat for long periods. As you mentioned, it will be all about patience. Just getting used to
The Afghanistan players have been playing four-day matches against some of the associate nations but five-day Test cricket is a different ball-game altogether. It is definitely more challenging and testing formats of the game. Simmons revealed that they need to work on that aspect, adjusting to the different needs and aspects of the game.
“These boys have played four-day cricket with the associate nations and have done well. But Test matches are going to be a different ball game. The boys will
Afghanistan will be playing their maiden Test match against India from June 14-18 in Bangalore. But there have been talks that Virat Kohli might skip the Test match to play County cricket in order to prepare for a tough England tour which is scheduled to commence from July this year. However, Simmons was not too worried about the fact that Kohli might not play and not give importance to the fixture.
“You are playing India, you are not playing Virat. If he was injured, we would still be playing against a formidable India. The only thing is that my players won't be able to play against the number one batsman in Test cricket. So it takes away that from us but as a Test match, it doesn't take away anything,” Simmons further added.
West Indies have been struggling in international cricket in recent times and a lot of their players have preferred playing in big T20 leagues over playing for the country.
“It is very sad. It is hurtful (that West Indies had to qualify). But you could see it coming since the time was I coaching them. There were not a lot of things done correctly. We were struggling and did not play enough games before the cut-off period for automatic qualification. I don't know if top players prefer playing T20 leagues over playing for the West Indies. I think it is a case of board's refusal to select them most times. I don't know what happened after I left. I am only talking about the time I was
Chris Gayle has set the stage of IPL on fire in this season as he has struck a couple of
“I coached him (Gayle) in the CPL and I tell you he is still switched on, still hungry. I am not surprised how he started this IPL. It is not his time to go yet,” Simmons further added.
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